Just
five years later during the summer of 1911 my
father, your Aunt Margery who was not well, and
I went back to England. Your grandmother kept
all my letters, so I will again quote them to
give you an idea of our travels and your grandfather’s
experiences that summer. It was the year of the
Colonial Conference in London, and King George’s
and Queen Mary’s Coronation. We crossed on the
"Virginian" of the Allan Line for the
third time, and she also carried Sir Wilfred Laurier
the members of his cabinet who were to be present
at the Conference, and many other people who were
going over to the Coronation.
High
Commissioner’s Office
London,
May
"Dear Mamma:—
We arrived safely
in London and are now at the High Commissioner’s
Office where I am writing this letter. We had
a perfectly heavenly time on the boat, and papa
wasn’t very ill. Margery is better and was not
at all sea sick. We have got very sunburnt,
for we had fine hot weather all the way across.
Sir Frederick and Lady Borden, Sir Wilfred [sic]
Laurier and Mr. Brodeur, Col. Sam Hughes, and
several other interesting people were on board.
Mr. and Mrs. George Washington Stephens of Montreal
were among the passengers. She is an Italian
woman of strong personality who made things
move. She got up a concert, and asked me to
sell programmes for it. There were very few
young girls on the boat, and many nice men,
so you can imagine it was not a difficult matter
for us to have a good time. Papa forbade us
to go on deck after dinner so imagine his horror
when he came and discovered my in a dark corner
with three men. It was such a shock to him but
he took it quite nicely. When I first met this
Mrs. Stephens I thought she was a dreadful looking
woman, and later when papa introduced me to
her, she said, "You don’t like me, but
then you are only a baby, come till I introduce
some nice men to you." I found her most
discerning and very entertaining during the
voyage.
Young Robert Laurier,
Sir Wilfred’s [sic] nephew was on board
with their party, making the grand tour for
the first time. He was very proud of his uncle,
and when Sir Wilfred appeared on deck, which
was not often, as he was not well, young Robert
would exclaim in a proud and important voice,
"Here is Sir Wilfred." I was touched
by his just pride."
London
May
25.
"London has been perfectly lovely so far,
so fine and warm, and the sun shines all the
time. The other morning after Papa has gone
to the city, Margery and I were eating our breakfast
at 9:30, when a man came with a note from the
Duke asking us to breakfast at ten at Kensington
Palace. I wrote a note saying I was sorry Papa
was away, but that Margery and I were alone[,]
might we come as I would so much like to see
him. He sent the man back with a sheet of paper
on which was written "Yes do come"
A. Margery didn’t want to go but I made her.
I wore my white suit and Margery her brown velvet.
We took a hansom and got there just in time.
The Duke and a footman were waiting to receive
us. The Duke said, "Here they are."
I paid the cabby 1/6 and the Duke said, "Look
here, this is my funeral" and gave me about
four times what I paid the man. At the table
I took it out and said, "Here is the change
from your funeral." He turned to Margery
and said, "I see she is not disciplined
yet." He seemed worried that he hadn’t
been able to see papa as he was leaving town
next day for Scotland for ten days. He is very
busy while he is in London entertaining visitors
from over seas who have [c]ome over for the
Coronation and the Colonial Conference. We are
to see more of him, and he said something about
Scotland, and that he would put me and Margery
up at a Ladies’ Club, and take us to some exhibitions.
We are to lunch today, the three of us, at Mrs.
Darcy Huttons, and go to a flower show after."
London
June
15th.
"Margery went on Monday to Barnsby Park
and from there on Friday she does to Eagle’s
Carnie, and on the first of July to Moreton
Pinkney Manor with Miss Grey who is at present
at Eagle’s Carnie with Miss Stewart. We shan’t
see Margery again for six weeks.
Papa and I are
to go to Inverary on the 28th. of June till
the 3rd. of July to stay with the Duke at Dalchenna.
The party will consist of us, Joan Balfour,
and two Colonels. The Duke is to review the
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders there. It
will be quite a sight and I expect we will have
a lovely time. He also sent us tickets for the
Coronation. The seats are at Buckingham Palace
with the Royal household.
Lord Dundonald
asked us to tea one day at his palace at Wimbleden,
but we were out of town. Last Saturday we were
to have gone to lunch with him but Margery and
Papa lunched with the Howicks, so we are to
go another time. Lady Howick wants Margery to
spend a day in town with her on her way from
Scotland to Moreton Pinkney."
June
17th.
"We are going to lunch at Lady George Campbell’s
today. We missed a dinner and a banquet given
for the Colonial Premiers, because Papa was
at Oxford, where he had gone to lecture and
stay with Sir William Osler. We were to have
gone as the guests of the Bishop of Ripon.
Mrs. Lawson wants
us to stay with them later and go to tea on
the 21st. Lady Elcho wants us to go to lunch
on the 27th. The Australian cousins, the MacKays,
are in town, and we are to call on them this
afternoon."
Dalchenna
July
3rd.
"Here we are once more in the same dear
place. The Duke has been so kind and made such
a fuss over us. He said my age limit was two
and a half and that I was the same baby I was
before, only I wear more war paint. If I am
dignified or quiet for five minutes, he thinks
I must be ill or something. The other ladies
of the party are Miss Hilan Lucas, Princess
Louise’s Lady-in-Waiting, and her sister Mrs.
Stamper. They are just two girls like me and
we have become great friends. We are going to
stay with Mrs. Stamper in Wales next month.
The Duke bought
us all hat pins, brooches, and books, and he
bought me a lovely piece 10 yards of homespun
for a suit. It is dyed with a native seaweed,
and is a golden brown color, "crochtal"
they call it. My plaid dress turned out to be
a real Campbell tartan. He liked my yellow suit
and said yellow was the Campbell color. When
he went in his uniform to review the Highlanders
he made me wear my red skating suit, and said
he and I were the only two who wore proper dress.
Of course he wore the uniform of the Argyll
and Sutherland Highlanders. We have both been
here just a week it was all the Duke could manage
in this busy London season. As it was he told
me I was to blame that he missed a lost of London
functions. Dalchenna is to be let for the Autumn.
The Duke bought us return tickets from London.
A week ago yesterday
we dined at Lord Strathcona’s at their London
House. His daughter Mrs. Howard and her children
were there. We went to Stafford house on Monday,
with the Australian cousins the MacKays, to
the Duchess of Sutherland’s "At Home."
The Duke of Argyll was there and he showed us
all over the place. (His mother was a daughter
of the late Duke of Sutherland) The MacKays
are charming looking people but their Australian
accent is queer.
On Tuesday we
lunched at Lord and Lady Elcho’s in Codogan
Square. Lord Elcho fills his coffee cup half
full of sugar and moistens it with a little
coffee. Tomorrow we are going to lunch with
the Boyd Carpenters. We get into town just in
time for it.
Papa is trying
to arrange to be moved over here to the High
Commissioners Office, so in that case we shan’t
be going home and you will all be coming over
here. I do hope he will succeed, for he feels
that he could do so much more over here."
I
am including a letter I got from the Duke just
after we came back to London.
Kensington
Palace.
July
6th. 1911.
"My Dear Faith:—
I shall not know
Dalchenna again when it is "faithless."
It won’t be worth living in or at. We had a
very busy Investiture today at St. James and
only one Campbell among the recipients to refresh
the onlookers. Next time you must be among the
recipients of honours, or you may be—for we
had three ladies who preceded, towards the end,
some Indian warriors. I am very glad to hear
you are none the worse for your excursion in
to the Barbaric land and water of your ancestors.
You were much appreciated by all the Elements
there from the rain drop to the pipers.
I have been very
busy since we parted and today have married
a niece, opened a Consumption Training School,
helped to decorate 300 gentlemen, and lunched
three mayors, and made two speeches, so I ought
to "shut up" now oughtn’t I?
The Princess is
confined to bed with a bad laryngitis attack,
from trying to do too much when I was away.
As I have to write about 50 notes, I shall now
say good night with all good wishes including
one for your self that I may see both of you
soon again."
London
July
6th.
"Dear Mamma:—
Things have reached
a crisis if Papa can’t arrange something soon
we will have to go back to Canada for his leave
will be up. Papa has gone to spend the weekend
with Lord Malmsberry, a cousin of George Montague,
who was visiting the Greys at G.H. last winter.
It seems to me it will all work out beautifully
because papa has arrived in England at a crisis
when there is an opening for him, and now is
his opportunity, and he must take it.
I am awfully sorry
about you having influenza, and the babies,
and I will be glad when you will be able to
bring them over here, and we can settle down.
Mrs. Tuzo has a nice house to let near London
in Surrey. The sea voyage will do you good.
We believe in
ghosts, all the people in Scotland so, and mental
telepathy, and second sight. They say the Duke
has it but won’t talk about it.
The Boyd Carpenters
had such a nice lunch for us. Mr. Pierpoint
Morgan the American Millionaire with the strawberry
nose was there.
It would be lovely
if we could get everything settled soon and
you could all come to England. The house we
are looking at is just near Mr. Tuzo and has
such a pretty garden. Papa is very keen about
it. I feel quite sure he will get something
over here. The Duke has faith in his drama,
and thinks he could stage it."
London
July
15th.
"Papa went for a couple of days to Moreton
Pinkney to see Margery and Miss Grey. They asked
me but I didn’t go. The Gibsons are in town.
They asked me to a nice little tear party at
the Lyceum Club. We are to lunch with them on
Sunday. Papa is much better, though he is in
a constant rush and strain trying to manage
things. I will be so glad when everything is
finally settled.
Last night we
went to Stafford House to a very nice party,
music the first half of the evening then dancing.
The Duchess of Sutherland was very nice to me.
I wore my yellow dress and it was quite as nice
as the other girls wore including Lady Rosemary.
Lady Rosemary is rather sweet and piquante,
but not pretty. The Marquess of Stafford is
fair and fine looking. Nial[l] Campbell was
there, and talked to me for a time. He is a
regular society man; and I don’t quite know
what to make of him. He is rather nice looking.
I laughed at him and he lectured me. At Dalchenna
I was better dressed than the other girls, and
I had a different dress for dinner every night.
On Friday I am to go driving with Hilan Lucas
the Princess’ Lady in waiting."
July
22nd.
"I am at Mrs. Tuzo’s again. She is so good
to me and next to being with the Duke I would
rather be with her. She has the same kind of
eyes, and little ways the Duke has. Papa is
still with Miss Green and it is very nice for
him, because it is in town, and he may come
and go as he pleases, and he hates the boarding
house. He always has one or more invitations
for every weekend, but he is rather worried
trying to get his affairs settled. We must know
soon definitely what our plans will be. Servants
are cheaper here, and the house we are looking
at is just 45 minutes by train from London.
Papa gives me everything I ask for and is very
good to me. All the last two weeks in London
I was busy. On Friday evening we went to Stafford
House. The Duchess of Sutherland of course is
beautiful, but Lady Rosemary is not good looking.
Nial[l] Campbell and his sister Elspeth were
there. I spoke to Nial[l] but he wouldn’t have
known me, and papa didn’t know him. People here
are rather hard on Nial[l], but I really think
there is much more to him than they give him
credit for because he is a society man about
town, but I have seen him in the country. I
made him angry and laughed at him, and Papa
said he was looking at me out of the corner
of his eye when I turned my back because he
spoke to the Lady on the other side of him.
Elspeth Campbell is very handsome and fond of
music. We had music and conversation in the
beautiful ball-room till 12.30, and then supper.
They were to dance after, but as Mrs. Swainston
was sitting up for me we had to go home. As
I can’t dance very well, and it mightn’t be
good for my yellow dress it is perhaps just
as well. I was talking to Col. Reppington, war
correspondent for the "Times." We
talked together for about half an hour about
Canada and all sorts of things. I didn’t know
who he was. Then the Duchess came and took me
over and introduced me to her girls, Lady Rosabell
Sinclair Erskine, her niece, Lady Rosemary and
Miss Drake. On Monday I went driving for three
and a half hours with Hilan Lucas all over London
and through the parks two or three times. We
are such good friends and are to spend the whole
of Tuesday together. On Thursday I went into
town and met Papa and we went to lunch with
Lord and Lady Salisbury at 20 Arlington Street.
They have a wonderful town house. I asked Lord
Salisbury who Col. Reppington was, and he said
he was one of the biggest men in England. Papa
is busy every minute trying to arrange our affairs.
On Tuesday papa and I are going to Windsor with
Mrs. Stamper, her husband and Hilan,"
July
28th.
"All during that hot weather I was so worried
about you and the babies and Basil. I know what
you must have been through. I have heard two
babies cry at once in our house, and that alone
is bad enough without you all having flu as
well. Things here look pretty cheerful and we
must know definitely in a few days what our
plans must be. It seems quite hopeless for us
to stay in Ottawa. Papa had a cable from Katharine,
saying she sails today so she will be here next
Saturday, and next Monday the three of us are
invited to stay with Mrs. Stamper in Wales who
was at Dalchenna with us. I have been with Mrs.
Tuzo for two weeks and Papa has come for the
week-end. The heat here has been just the same
as in Canada. It was 91 in the shade this morning.
Of course it is unusual here. We seem to get
it after it leaves you a sort of heat wave.
On Thursday I
went to town again and we had lunch with Lord
and Lady Pentland. They were so nice to us and
after took us to a garden party at the Asquiths
in Downing Street, where we met our first liberal
party, Lloyd George and his friends. It was
most interesting. There are dreadful "Doings"
over here just now and the Unionists are quite
split up. It is uncertain how they will come
out. I will be so glad to get things settled
and if possible to get you all over here, anyway
to be with you and help with the babies."
Tunbridge
Wells
August
4th.
"We have been here since Tuesday."
August
9th.
"Here we are in London again, and Katharine
is with us. She and I have a very nice room
together in a family hotel. On Tuesday we shopped
all day, had lunch at the Savoy Hotel and went
to the theatre in the evening. Today the three
of us had breakfast with the Duke at Kensington
Palace and tomorrow we go to Wales."
Llanstinan
Hall
August
18th.
"We have been here ten days and have been
very busy having a good time. Frances is very
good to us and likes Katharine very much. Everyday
we motor some place where we see old castles,
and touch the sea at some point. They have showed
us a great deal of the country, it is beautiful
and very much like Scotland. On Monday we are
going to London. The strikes may be serious.
Nobody can go anywhere all the trains and steamships
are stopped. France’s husband, Archie Stamper,
is very nice looking, and their baby Douglas
is the Duke’s godson. We generally take a picnic
lunch or tea with us on our motor trips, and
come home in time for a late dinner. Llastinan
Hall is an old stone house with a pretty garden."
This
is the last of my letters written to my mother
that summer. The Duke, who was in France with
the Princess, wrote me while we were at the Stampers:—
"Many
thanks for note. Kindest remembrances to your
father and you and the Stampers. Do they write
"love" with a double L at the beginning?
It is a bad sign to use too many letters. I
play golf and sleep in alternate sections of
the day. The residents pass their day either
in motors or in the sea. There is some flying
carried on and the flyers take some unwilling
baths, as yet without drowning in the sea. Others
are building villas and letting them before
they are built. I am the only antiquity here."
From
the Stampers in Wales we went to visit Mrs. Lawson
at Aldborough Manor in Yorkshire, where the Duke
wrote to me:—
"The
Ancient hopes you will take care of yourself
in this heat, and thanks for letter describing
even older things than French correspondents."
The
Duke is referring to the old Roman ruins on the
Lawson estate from where I had written him describing
them. My father was greatly interested in these
stones as well as in some ancient monoliths in
the surrounding country. He was able to visualize
the civilizations peculiar to their times. He
would stand in front of one of these stones, and
deliver such a realistic oration, that we were
carried back ourselves, and could see it all through
his eyes, these ancient cities with their living
people. |
